One of Prince William’s Key Personality Traits Is “Straight Out of Diana’s Playbook”

The future king’s relatability will take the monarchy into the next generation, a royal commenter shared.

The Gist

• Prince William turns 43 years old on June 21 and is next in line to be king.
• The heir to the throne is poised to take the monarchy into the next generation with his relatability, a royal commenter shared.
• Another commenter noted that William’s actions are often “straight out of Diana’s playbook,” referring, of course, to Princess Diana, William’s beloved mother.

As the heir to the British throne, Prince William represents the future of the monarchy—and this key personality trait will help modernize the centuries-old institution, a royal commentator said.

Ahead of his 43rd birthday on June 21, the Prince of Wales, The Daily Mail reported, “has proven himself to be one of the most down to earth members of the royal family,” and the future king’s “seemingly small kind gestures are having a bigger impact than first meet the eye.”

“As heir to the throne, Prince William will inherit a role which he could be called upon to fill at any time,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said, adding that William “has already established a reputation for diplomacy.”

“William also wants to change things and modernize aspects of the monarchy, whilst maintaining relevant traditions which are valuable, such as the Opening of Parliament and Trooping the Colour,” Fitzwilliams added. “He has also inherited the Dukedom of Cornwall and plans to change the lives of its inhabitants where he can, especially in combating homelessness and having a positive impact on the lives of farmers. His promotion of environmental issues is more relatable than the campaigning, admirable though it has been, of his father [King Charles], who has given so many dire forecasts about the effects of climate change. William’s Earthshot Prize emphasizes the positive and the importance of tackling it with inventions and rewarding those who create them.”

William really does seem to be striking a balance between honoring the traditions of the royal family—just this week alone, he’s taken part in Trooping the Colour on June 14, Royal Ascot on June 18, and the Garter Day Service on June 16, complete with donning the outfit associated with the occasion—and being a more relatable royal. He prioritizes family time, frequently engages in public displays of affection with his wife Kate Middleton (appropriate PDA, of course), and doesn’t mind drinking a beer or talking about his favorite sports team, soccer club Aston Villa.

“William’s more relaxed public appearances have delighted onlookers,” Fitzwilliams said. “His support of his beloved Aston Villa has led to numerous public appearances where his natural enthusiasm is on show.” (William has even admitted to lurking on Aston Villa message boards for long stretches of time—relatable to any fan of a sports team.)

Speaking in Cape Town, South Africa promoting his aforementioned Earthshot Prize last November, William said, “I can only describe what I’m trying to do, and that’s I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation. And to give you more an understanding around it, I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal, if you like—that’s maybe a better way of saying it.”

This style of leadership reflects the relatability of William’s late mother, Princess Diana, who the future king was extraordinarily close to and who died in 1997, when William was just 15 years old. After a 2023 trip to New York City, Richard Kay of The Daily Mail noted that the “spontaneity” of William’s itinerary during his trip—including a jog through Central Park—was something “straight out of Diana’s playbook.”

Sounding awfully a lot like his mother, in that same November 2024 interview, William said of his style of leadership (via the BBC), “It’s more about impact philanthropy, collaboration, conventing, and helping people. And I’m also going to throw empathy in there as well, because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people’s lives. And I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.”

Of William, Fitzwilliams said, “He has also experienced a childhood where, though both parents were devoted to him, the stress of that unhappy marriage which disintegrated so publicly on a child must have been extraordinary. That too, sadly, makes him relatable to so many others.”

“So do his public displays of affection for Catherine during a really difficult period in their lives,” Fitzwilliams continued, alluding to the future queen’s cancer diagnosis last year. “They have chosen to release intimate images, as she has reached out to fellow sufferers—and we can see how devoted they are to each other.”